It seemed that there was nothing "Scandal" could do to top what had come before it: election rigging, Supreme Court justice murdering, insanely hot White House sex, a government mole, the return of a "dead" character. But with one word uttered by Olivia Pope, "Scandal" proved us wrong.

"Dad?!"

Yes, Mystery Boss Guy -- the one who met Jake on the park bench, the one who said he'd "handle" Olivia, the one who ordered Cyrus to keep the president in check -- is Olivia Pope's father. WHAT?!

Seriously, craziest paternity reveal since Darth Vader told Luke he was his father!

Back from the dead

Billy Chambers is the mole?! Even Olivia can't process it. Like, isn't he supposed to be dead, Huck? Turns out he contracted that job to his buddy Charlie.

"If you want someone killed right, you do it yourself." Oh, Huck #Scandal

Billy pleaded his way out of that one, and now the Defiance crew is up a creek without a paddle. Hollis wants to murder the guy, natch, but Olivia says he's not their problem. What they really need to do is get the Cytron card back.

As their cabal breaks up, Olivia tells Fitz it's going to be difficult to wait four more years. Uh, there won't be any waiting, he replies. He plans to go ahead with the divorce, marry Olivia, and make her the First Lady!

Is Fitz insane? He thinks he can get divorced, marry his mistress, and still win reelection? #Scandal

Then he uses his (rated NC-17) superpower on her. In the White House! Again!

Cyrus finds out from James some disturbing news: Sally Langston is planning to run on her own for president! She's not cool with the commandments' being broken and thinks the party needs an alternative. A red-faced Cy goes apoplectic and starts screaming about how she had two jobs: to be loyal and to not die.

A stroke is about to come upon Cy, he needs to take a chill pill, anyone have Nitro? #Scandal#AskScandal

The gladiators are trying to track down the Cytron card, and Olivia hits on the idea to scout out Fitz's opponent in the last election, Gov. Reston. Quinn shows off just how much she's learned and taps into security cameras in front of his house. But instead of impressing Huck, this disturbs him. He's worried about Quinn and he's worried about Liv.

Meanwhile, Jake is meeting with Mystery Boss Guy, who asks him to bring Olivia in. Jake refuses. Well, if he can't do it, then someone else will.

After their exchange, Cy gets a call from Olivia, who warns him about Reston. Oh no, apparently Reston is meeting with Fitz at that very moment! It's all too much for Cy to handle, and he collapses on the ground.

Oh no, all that yelling and scheming has finally caught up to Cyrus in the form of a heart attack #Scandal

In that meeting between the former opponents, Reston shows his hand early: He knows about Defiance. And he wants to make a deal to be on Fitz's ticket in the next election. Olivia knows this is a terrible idea — and even Cy calls in from the ambulance to argue against it.

At the hospital, Cy seems fine, if a bit tired, when a tearful James comes in. "Don't you die on me when I'm still mad at you," he sniffles. And then he uses the opportunity to squeeze a little news scoop out of his husband.

A man with a plan

David meets with Billy, who wants the Cytron card, but David is hesitant. The gladiators have become his friends. Oh really? The same people who destroyed your career and life? Billy asks. He persuades David to hand the card over in the name of justice.

Meanwhile, Olivia has hatched a scheme: She meets with Gov. Reston to pretend that Fitz will put him on the ticket if they see the proof he has on Defiance. This way, he'll call Billy and then they can track him down. Brilliant!

Even more brilliant is Fitz's devastating speech to Mellie. The first lady has come to visit Cy in the hospital and put on a show for the reporters outside. Fitz isn't having it, though. He'll support her in a future political career and never say a bad word about her, but their marriage is over. He outlines an incredibly smart plan: They'll divorce, he'll wait a year, he'll go on some high-profile dates, and then after a while, he'll fall in love with one of his oldest and dearest friends — Olivia. Fitz even plays the race card! Speechless, Mellie storms out.

In her apartment, Olivia has just finished chatting with Fitz on the phone when someone starts to break down the door. As she dials 911, someone comes up behind her — it's Jake! He clamps her mouth shut, and when the person breaks in (it's one of MBG's agents), Jake shoots the intruder.

He drags Olivia away from the apartment and to her office. She'll be safe there, Jake says. But as long as Olivia is in a relationship with the president, she'll be in danger. He reveals that he's part of B613, just like Huck was, and that he's in big, big trouble now for saving her life. But before he disappears, Olivia gives him one last tender kiss.

Jake and Olivia have really amazing chemistry. If it weren't for Fitz ... #Scandal

Cyrus comes to check on Olivia, who's rattled but still determined to be with Fitz. He can't believe it, though. She'd rather get killed than be single? A furious Cy goes Defcon 1: He tells her that Fitz murdered Verna. Olivia is shocked and appalled.

"This is not a romance novel," Cyrus yells. "Life is not a romance novel."

But oh, Cyrus isn't done stomping on Fitz and Olivia's relationship. He shows Fitz the sex tape of Olivia and Jake!

Justice served

Huck and Quinn track Billy down and take him to their torture chamber. But Huck can't do it — he's too scarred, too PTSD-y. So, Quinn takes over ... and from the blood-spattered expression on her face, she likes it.

The torture works, and Billy gives up the card. But when the gladiators check it, they realize it's a fake. He says it was the card that David Rosen gave him, and they all realize that David played them.

We get an "Ocean's 11"-style flashback into how it all went down: While David was staying at the gladiators' office, he tried dozens of combination codes on Olivia's safe until it opened. He took the card and made a copy. One night, Billy and Charlie put a gun to him and asked him about Defiance.

Olivia and Fitz finally come face-to-face. He knows about Jake, she knows about Verna. But while he can forgive her, she can't forgive him. "The things we've done to get you here -- we went too far," she tells him, eyes full of tears. "The reset button has been hit. You can run clean. Run with Mellie at your side."

He tries to argue with her, but she says she ran her people off the wrong cliff. And she won't do that anymore.

Olivia chooses her team over Fitz. "I'm their gladiator." Yeah you are #Scandal

The reset button really has been hit. Fitz goes to Mellie to grovel. Cyrus smashes the Cytron card -- Defiance is dead. Jake is put into the same hole that Huck once inhabited. David is upholding the law. And Olivia goes for a run.

But when she walks out of her apartment building, there's a crowd of reporters, cameras flashing, microphones in her face. Her affair with Fitz leaked. For the first time, we see Olivia flustered and panicked.

She's escorted into the safety of a waiting car. A man is waiting there for her. It's Mystery Boss Guy. Oh no...